May 31, 2008

Spotlight on safety: It’s time to prepare for hurricane season!

The first day of June is the official start of hurricane season in the U.S. And it’s a good time to take stock of our personal emergency readiness plans.

People with disabilities are particularly vulnerable in times of crisis. It’s especially important to anticipate and prepare for disasters that could take away or disrupt the things they rely on for independence and safety in their day-to-day lives. As we know from past experience, nothing is routine in an emergency.

There are a number of good resources that can help us get and stay ready. Here are a few to get started:

• The Governor’s Division of Emergency Management is charged with carrying out a comprehensive all-hazard emergency management program for the Texas and helps cities, counties, and state agencies plan and implement their emergency management programs. There are some links the public may find useful (including several links of interest to people who have disabilities or special health care needs) on their website: http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/dem/pages/publicinformation.htm.
• The Department of Homeland Security preparedness website is http://www.ready.gov/. The American Red Cross site is http://www.redcross.org/.
• The Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services (DARS) is encouraging people with disabilities who live in hurricane-prone areas of Texas to pre-register for transportation assistance by calling the Texas 2-1-1 Information and Referral Network. For maps of the state’s 22-county evacuation zones and related information, check out http://www.texasonline.com/emergency/eng/evacuating.html.
• The Department of State Health Services (DSHS) has launched a statewide emergency preparedness campaign to help Texans prepare for emergencies such as hurricanes, wildfires, terrorist attacks, and disease outbreaks. The Ready or Not? Have a Plan! campaign is a new interactive web site with a lot of good tools, resources and links. Go to http://www.texasprepares.org/ for the English version and http://www.texasprepara.org/ for Spanish.
• Two DPC member organizations have developed some great preparedness resources:
  • The Texas Center for Disability Studies created the Good to Go Hurricane Evacuation Kit. It’s a 16-page booklet with information for people with disabilities and seniors. The kit includes a magnetized pocket with several forms to record important personal information, Fill out the forms, hang them on the fridge to keep them handy at all times, and you’re “good to go” if you need to make a quick exit during an emergency. To find out more or order copies, contact Steve Thomas at 512-232-0740 or 800-828-7839 (toll-free) or send him an e-mail at jayhawker@mail.utexas.edu.
  • The Center on Disability and Development at Texas A&M University has an online resource page at http://cdd.tamu.edu/resources/disaster.htm. Among other things, you’ll find guides to emergency management and disability-related acronyms, supports and services for people with disabilities and their families, Texas support groups and tip sheets for first responders.

 

Happy Birthday, ADAPT!

Members of ADAPT are home again after a big national celebration of 25 years of activism, progress and victories. ADAPT members from all over the country gathered in Washington, D.C. to party, raise funds with a fun run and, of course, conduct a little activism.

They staged sit-ins at the Republican National Committee and Senator John McCain’s office in hopes of getting the presidential hopeful’s public support of the Community Choice Act (S. 799). As you may know, ADAPT is leading the effort for passage of the legislation which would give people with disabilities and older Americans equal access to community-based services.

ADAPT also paid a visit to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to draw attention to the thousands of people with disabilities stuck in nursing homes and other institutions despite their expressed wishes to live in their homes and communities.

Another highlight of the celebration was a visit to the National Governors Association where ADAPT announced its Ten Best–Ten Worst States in Home and Community Services and Supports.

• Ten Best: Alaska, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Oregon, Rhode Island and Vermont.
• Ten Worst: Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Dakota, Tennessee and Texas.

For more in-depth coverage of the celebration and actions, visit ADAPT’s website: http://www.adapt.org/freeourpeople/aar/wdc25/report04.htm

 

DPC welcomes new local member.

DPC welcomes a new local member—Coastal Bend Autism Advocacy, Inc. (CBAA). The organization helps parents and educators of children and young adults with autism to find information about services and assistance. CBAA works to raise awareness of autism and raise funds to bring additional services to the area.

CBAA is DPC’s third local member from the Corpus Christi. We’re excited to have such a great group on board. More information about this organization is available on their website: http://www.coastalbendautismadvocacy.org/.

 

Let your friends know about the Texas Action Center: Tell-a-friend!